TEWKSBURY, Mass: The Kuwait Air Defense Forces successfully test fired Raytheon Company's Patriot Air and Missile Defense System against tactical ballistic missiles. The test firings were held last month at the Udairi Range in Kuwait in conjunction with other Kuwait Air Defense and Land Forces elements during a joint exercise.
The test firings used a Kuwait Patriot Configuration-2 Plus fire unit with Guidance Enhanced Missiles as the interceptors, which are operated and maintained by Kuwait Air Defense brigade troops. The Patriot system successfully engaged and destroyed two Patriot-as-a-Target missiles, as well as three foreign Multiple Launch Rocket System-type targets, both configurations emulating tactical ballistic missiles.
The exercise was observed by senior officials from the Kuwaiti and U.S. governments, including Kuwait Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sheikh Ahmad Al-Khaled Al-Sabah.
"This test firing showcased the lethal capabilities of the combat-proven Patriot Air and Missile Defense System against tactical ballistic missiles, as well as the strong alliance among the Kuwait Air Defense Forces, the U.S. government and Raytheon in maintaining the readiness and effectiveness of Patriot in Kuwait," said Skip Garrett, vice president and deputy for Patriot Programs, Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems (IDS).
"To support our 12 partner nations globally, Patriot continues to add capabilities to counter emerging threats, while providing increased system reliability and reduced life-cycle cost," Garrett said.
Raytheon IDS is the prime contractor for both domestic and international Patriot Air and Missile Defense Systems and system integrator for Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles.
Integrated Defense Systems is Raytheon's leader in Global Capabilities Integration providing affordable, integrated solutions to a broad international and domestic customer base, including the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, the U.S. Armed Forces and the Department of Homeland Security.
Raytheon Company, with 2008 sales of $23.2 billion, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 73,000 people worldwide
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Unmanned aircraft changing Soldiers’ battlefield perspective
WASHINGTON: Soldiers need the tactical advantages their unmanned aircraft systems provide to be integrated into their units, so they aren't forced to endure lengthy approval chains that can cost lives, according to UAS experts.
"Most of the living and dying is going on in squad, platoon and company level in this fight. So you have to give those Soldiers what they need, when they need it. And they need it all the time," said Glenn A. Rizzi, deputy director and senior technical advisor of the United States Army Unmanned Aircraft Systems Center of Excellence at Fort Rucker, Ala.
Rizzi spoke during the Association of the United States Army's Institute of Land Warfare Army Aviation Symposium and Exposition, Jan. 5-7 in Arlington, Va. He said approval chains for unmanned aerial vehicle support can be lengthy, taking time that tactical units on the ground and in the fight cannot afford.
"They don't have time, when they need UAS support, to ... carry it up to the Joint Force Air Component Commander, ask for a Predator, and then have it go through that decision loop and then have it repositioned," Rizzi said. "They need it there, and they need it there 24/7."
What Soldiers need, Rizzi said, is UAS support that is built into their combat units -- unmanned aerial systems owned by the Army, flown by the Army, to provide support to the Army's ground units -- who are actually in the fight -- when they need it.
"You need organic systems," he said.
Sgt. Michael Arons serves as an instructor with the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Training Battalion at Fort Huachuca, Ariz. He served with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, with the Shadow platoon in Iraq from 2005-2006. He also served in Afghanistan in 2008. His experience there with a then non-weaponized MQ-1C Warrior illustrates the need for the Army to keep control of UAS aviation close to where the Soldiers are.
"We were flying down (main supply route) 1, Ohio, in Afghanistan, just doing a route scan, and we see three guys emplacing IEDs," Arons said. "Had we not been there, who would have know what could have happened -- an MRAP (could have) run by there and get blown up. People's lives are at stake."
Arons' team called in air support -- an F-15 Eagle dropped a bomb there -- but two of the three enemy escaped and Arons was able to follow them -- track them -- using the MQ-1C.
"We followed those two guys," he said. "And we have two different lasers on our payload. We have a designator -- we illuminated the house these guys ran to."
Ultimately, Soldiers were able to enter that house and find what was there -- a large weapons cache.
"Had we not been there, all these weapons would have been used against U.S. forces -- against allied forces," Arons said.
Col. Christopher Carlile, director, United States Army Unmanned Aircraft Systems Center of Excellence, said Army UASs have flown some 1 million combat hours during the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Army is now training some 2,000 UAS operators, maintainers and instructor pilots a year. He said similar UAS success stories reported in the news, like that of Arons, are often the result of Army unmanned aviation.
"When you see an article that's written, that says X, Y and Z were executed by drones ... understand that you are more than likely, in upwards of 80 percent of those cases, dealing with Army UAS doing those," Carlile said.
The colonel said Army UAS aviation is changing the way the Army does business.
"The way that infantryman, up until now, found out what was on the back side of that building was when he had fire coming from it," Carlile said. Now, systems like the Raven give Soldiers the ability to see where they couldn't see before.
"They could take that and fly it and put it up above and see if there was an ambush on the other side of the street, in real time," he said. "This has truly revolutionized the way we fight warfare at the tactical level."
Sgt. 1st Class Brian Miller now serves with the Directorate of Evaluation and Standardization, at Fort Rucker, Ala. He's deployed as an infantryman in Afghanistan, to Kosovo, and twice with unmanned aircraft systems in support of special operations forces.
Miller says he sees the need for organic Army UAS because it can save time for Soldiers and because UAS support can work round-the-clock, without tiring. In Afghanistan, for instance, Soldiers are placing ground sensors to cover areas where they can't patrol on foot -- because the landscape is larger than the number of boots-on-ground can support. Response time to a sensor hit can be shortened with a UAS.
"If I get a hit on the sensor, it's a lot for me to spin up an aircraft crew and get them to go out there and fly their Blackhawk or Chinook or Apache out there and see what's going on," Miller said. "But I've already got a UAS up -- some for 24 hours. A lot of stuff for us is what we call a swing of the camera. I can see about a 10 kilometer range in all areas. I don't have a perfect view at 10 kilometers, but I have enough that I can see what it is and start working my way over to that area of operations."
Providing quick UAS support to Soldiers, with both weaponized and un-weaponized systems, is critical, Carlile said, because organic UAS is about supporting the Soldier.
"Their whole intent is to support the guys they eat dinner with every night," Carlile said. "The ones they sleep in the same tactical assembly area with."
While UAS support can come from outside -- sometimes from the other side of the world -- having in-house, organic UAS support, flown by Soldiers actually involved in the fight, is best, said Rizzi.
"Through planning, through after action review, they know the commander's intent, they fly that ground every day," Rizzi said. "They understand the subtle intricacies of daily life, they know how the fight changes over time very subtly, and so they are most effective."
"You cannot have the same situational awareness 8,000 miles away," Carlile said. "It just does not exist."
"Most of the living and dying is going on in squad, platoon and company level in this fight. So you have to give those Soldiers what they need, when they need it. And they need it all the time," said Glenn A. Rizzi, deputy director and senior technical advisor of the United States Army Unmanned Aircraft Systems Center of Excellence at Fort Rucker, Ala.
Rizzi spoke during the Association of the United States Army's Institute of Land Warfare Army Aviation Symposium and Exposition, Jan. 5-7 in Arlington, Va. He said approval chains for unmanned aerial vehicle support can be lengthy, taking time that tactical units on the ground and in the fight cannot afford.
"They don't have time, when they need UAS support, to ... carry it up to the Joint Force Air Component Commander, ask for a Predator, and then have it go through that decision loop and then have it repositioned," Rizzi said. "They need it there, and they need it there 24/7."
What Soldiers need, Rizzi said, is UAS support that is built into their combat units -- unmanned aerial systems owned by the Army, flown by the Army, to provide support to the Army's ground units -- who are actually in the fight -- when they need it.
"You need organic systems," he said.
Sgt. Michael Arons serves as an instructor with the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Training Battalion at Fort Huachuca, Ariz. He served with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, with the Shadow platoon in Iraq from 2005-2006. He also served in Afghanistan in 2008. His experience there with a then non-weaponized MQ-1C Warrior illustrates the need for the Army to keep control of UAS aviation close to where the Soldiers are.
"We were flying down (main supply route) 1, Ohio, in Afghanistan, just doing a route scan, and we see three guys emplacing IEDs," Arons said. "Had we not been there, who would have know what could have happened -- an MRAP (could have) run by there and get blown up. People's lives are at stake."
Arons' team called in air support -- an F-15 Eagle dropped a bomb there -- but two of the three enemy escaped and Arons was able to follow them -- track them -- using the MQ-1C.
"We followed those two guys," he said. "And we have two different lasers on our payload. We have a designator -- we illuminated the house these guys ran to."
Ultimately, Soldiers were able to enter that house and find what was there -- a large weapons cache.
"Had we not been there, all these weapons would have been used against U.S. forces -- against allied forces," Arons said.
Col. Christopher Carlile, director, United States Army Unmanned Aircraft Systems Center of Excellence, said Army UASs have flown some 1 million combat hours during the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Army is now training some 2,000 UAS operators, maintainers and instructor pilots a year. He said similar UAS success stories reported in the news, like that of Arons, are often the result of Army unmanned aviation.
"When you see an article that's written, that says X, Y and Z were executed by drones ... understand that you are more than likely, in upwards of 80 percent of those cases, dealing with Army UAS doing those," Carlile said.
The colonel said Army UAS aviation is changing the way the Army does business.
"The way that infantryman, up until now, found out what was on the back side of that building was when he had fire coming from it," Carlile said. Now, systems like the Raven give Soldiers the ability to see where they couldn't see before.
"They could take that and fly it and put it up above and see if there was an ambush on the other side of the street, in real time," he said. "This has truly revolutionized the way we fight warfare at the tactical level."
Sgt. 1st Class Brian Miller now serves with the Directorate of Evaluation and Standardization, at Fort Rucker, Ala. He's deployed as an infantryman in Afghanistan, to Kosovo, and twice with unmanned aircraft systems in support of special operations forces.
Miller says he sees the need for organic Army UAS because it can save time for Soldiers and because UAS support can work round-the-clock, without tiring. In Afghanistan, for instance, Soldiers are placing ground sensors to cover areas where they can't patrol on foot -- because the landscape is larger than the number of boots-on-ground can support. Response time to a sensor hit can be shortened with a UAS.
"If I get a hit on the sensor, it's a lot for me to spin up an aircraft crew and get them to go out there and fly their Blackhawk or Chinook or Apache out there and see what's going on," Miller said. "But I've already got a UAS up -- some for 24 hours. A lot of stuff for us is what we call a swing of the camera. I can see about a 10 kilometer range in all areas. I don't have a perfect view at 10 kilometers, but I have enough that I can see what it is and start working my way over to that area of operations."
Providing quick UAS support to Soldiers, with both weaponized and un-weaponized systems, is critical, Carlile said, because organic UAS is about supporting the Soldier.
"Their whole intent is to support the guys they eat dinner with every night," Carlile said. "The ones they sleep in the same tactical assembly area with."
While UAS support can come from outside -- sometimes from the other side of the world -- having in-house, organic UAS support, flown by Soldiers actually involved in the fight, is best, said Rizzi.
"Through planning, through after action review, they know the commander's intent, they fly that ground every day," Rizzi said. "They understand the subtle intricacies of daily life, they know how the fight changes over time very subtly, and so they are most effective."
"You cannot have the same situational awareness 8,000 miles away," Carlile said. "It just does not exist."
China Says Missile Interception Test Successful
China says it has successfully carried out a test of military technology to shoot down missiles in mid-air. The news comes in the wake of tensions between Beijing and Washington because of American missile sales to Taiwan, an island China considers part of its territory.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu Tuesday told reporters her country's test of emerging military technology was successful.
Jiang says Monday's test of "ground-based, mid-course missile intercepting technology" had what she describes as "the expected result."
There have been few details about the test.
But the Chinese spokeswoman says it has not left any debris in space orbit and does not constitute a threat to the security of other spacecraft.
She emphasizes that the anti-missile test is in line with what she calls China's path of peaceful development and is not targeted at any country.
Jiang says China has what she describes as a "defensive international defense policy." She says China is stepping-up its defense modernization in the interest of national security, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The apparently successful test came soon after the United States cleared a sale of advanced missiles to Taiwan, despite strong opposition from Beijing.
China curtailed military-to-military contacts with the United States in 2008, after then President George W. Bush announced plans to sell Taiwan a long-delayed arms package.
China has claimed sovereignty of self-governed Taiwan since 1949, when the Nationalists fled to the island after losing a civil war to the Chinese Communists. Beijing has vowed to bring Taiwan back under its rule, by force, if necessary.
In recent years, China has arrayed hundreds of missiles along the Chinese coast, all pointed at Taiwan.
The United States switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979. But Washington remains Taiwan's biggest military backer and has said it will help the island defend itself
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu Tuesday told reporters her country's test of emerging military technology was successful.
Jiang says Monday's test of "ground-based, mid-course missile intercepting technology" had what she describes as "the expected result."
There have been few details about the test.
But the Chinese spokeswoman says it has not left any debris in space orbit and does not constitute a threat to the security of other spacecraft.
She emphasizes that the anti-missile test is in line with what she calls China's path of peaceful development and is not targeted at any country.
Jiang says China has what she describes as a "defensive international defense policy." She says China is stepping-up its defense modernization in the interest of national security, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The apparently successful test came soon after the United States cleared a sale of advanced missiles to Taiwan, despite strong opposition from Beijing.
China curtailed military-to-military contacts with the United States in 2008, after then President George W. Bush announced plans to sell Taiwan a long-delayed arms package.
China has claimed sovereignty of self-governed Taiwan since 1949, when the Nationalists fled to the island after losing a civil war to the Chinese Communists. Beijing has vowed to bring Taiwan back under its rule, by force, if necessary.
In recent years, China has arrayed hundreds of missiles along the Chinese coast, all pointed at Taiwan.
The United States switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979. But Washington remains Taiwan's biggest military backer and has said it will help the island defend itself
ISRO to launch rockets to study solar eclipse
CHENNAI: The Indian space agency will launch a series of rockets from its two centres between Thursday and Sunday to study Friday's solar eclipse
and its aftereffects.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is getting ready to send up a series of sounding rockets - rockets carrying instruments to measure the physical parameters of the upper atmosphere - from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh and Thumba in Kerala to study the effects of the solar eclipse.
The solar eclipse Friday will be for a duration of 11.8 minutes. The sounding rockets will be fired before and after.
"On January 15 and 17, Rohini 560 (RH 560) sounding rockets will be launched in a parabolic flight path to measure various atmospheric and ionospheric parameters connected with the solar eclipse," Satish Dhawan Space Centre Associate Director M Y S Prasad told IANS from Sriharikota.
The nine-metre RH 560 rockets weigh 1.5 tonnes and carry a 100-kg payload of instruments each. The two-stage rocket will take the instruments 500 km above the earth's surface.
From Sriharikota, there will be one launch each on Friday and Sunday.
Most of the rockets will be launched from ISRO's Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) in Kerala.
According to ISRO officials, four rockets will be launched on Thursday from TERLS and five Friday.
The rockets fired from TERLS are smaller than RH 560. They will reach 75 to 120 km above the earth.
A similar coordinated experiment was conducted in 1980 and since then ISRO has set up several facilities to study the data.
and its aftereffects.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is getting ready to send up a series of sounding rockets - rockets carrying instruments to measure the physical parameters of the upper atmosphere - from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh and Thumba in Kerala to study the effects of the solar eclipse.
The solar eclipse Friday will be for a duration of 11.8 minutes. The sounding rockets will be fired before and after.
"On January 15 and 17, Rohini 560 (RH 560) sounding rockets will be launched in a parabolic flight path to measure various atmospheric and ionospheric parameters connected with the solar eclipse," Satish Dhawan Space Centre Associate Director M Y S Prasad told IANS from Sriharikota.
The nine-metre RH 560 rockets weigh 1.5 tonnes and carry a 100-kg payload of instruments each. The two-stage rocket will take the instruments 500 km above the earth's surface.
From Sriharikota, there will be one launch each on Friday and Sunday.
Most of the rockets will be launched from ISRO's Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) in Kerala.
According to ISRO officials, four rockets will be launched on Thursday from TERLS and five Friday.
The rockets fired from TERLS are smaller than RH 560. They will reach 75 to 120 km above the earth.
A similar coordinated experiment was conducted in 1980 and since then ISRO has set up several facilities to study the data.
India poised to become major defence sourcing hub: Study
NEW DELHI: The government should establish a dedicated defence-specific Special Economic Zone, apart from tax equalisation subsidy, as fiscal
regime played a critical role in the defence market growth, an industry study on Wednesday said.
It also sought exemption from Research and Development Cess for joint ventures implementing the offset obligations under the Defence Procurement Procedure introduced a couple of years ago to energise the defence market.
"The government is urged to consider the establishment of dedicated defence-specific SEZs, establishment of a tax equalisation subsidy linked to value of goods and services supplied to the defence sector, and exemptions to offset JVs from R&D Cess," a joint study by industry association CII and audit and advisory firm KPMG released here said.
"The fiscal regime plays a critical role in any defence market in creating an environment that incentivises and supports the long term risk taking, investment and R&D required by the industry," the report said, adding the general view of global defence industry was that India currently has a comparatively aggressive and complex tax regime.
It said with skilled intensive manufacturing capabilities and a world class IT base, India had the "right ingredients to become a key link in the global defence supply chain.
Welcoming the changes made in the DPP-2009 that provided for direct Indian industry participation in Defence tenders on par with PSUs, the study also sought new initiatives such as improving visibility of government defence order book, increasing industry output and feedback into the tender process and reduction in bidders' costs.
It, however, noted that the defence procurement policy (DPP) had evolved significantly since its first edition in 2002.
"For India to realise its objectives of building a military capability it requires, the government needs to develop a comprehensive industrialisation strategy for defence," it said noting that the country currently procured about 70 per cent of the armed forces' needs from abroad.
"But India aims to reverse this balance and manufacture 70 per cent or more of its defence equipment in India," it added.
"There is strong support (within industry) for extending the use of offset credit banking, allowing offset credit trading, and introducing the use of multipliers," it said.
The DPP stipulated that any deal for defence equipment with foreign suppliers worth over Rs 300 crore would attract the offset clause under which about 30 per cent to 50 per cent of the contract costs would have to be ploughed back into Indian defence industry.
On Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) cap of 26 per cent, the study said though the opinion was divided on increasing the FDI limit due to security considerations, there was clear expectation from the industry that it would be hiked from the present level.
regime played a critical role in the defence market growth, an industry study on Wednesday said.
It also sought exemption from Research and Development Cess for joint ventures implementing the offset obligations under the Defence Procurement Procedure introduced a couple of years ago to energise the defence market.
"The government is urged to consider the establishment of dedicated defence-specific SEZs, establishment of a tax equalisation subsidy linked to value of goods and services supplied to the defence sector, and exemptions to offset JVs from R&D Cess," a joint study by industry association CII and audit and advisory firm KPMG released here said.
"The fiscal regime plays a critical role in any defence market in creating an environment that incentivises and supports the long term risk taking, investment and R&D required by the industry," the report said, adding the general view of global defence industry was that India currently has a comparatively aggressive and complex tax regime.
It said with skilled intensive manufacturing capabilities and a world class IT base, India had the "right ingredients to become a key link in the global defence supply chain.
Welcoming the changes made in the DPP-2009 that provided for direct Indian industry participation in Defence tenders on par with PSUs, the study also sought new initiatives such as improving visibility of government defence order book, increasing industry output and feedback into the tender process and reduction in bidders' costs.
It, however, noted that the defence procurement policy (DPP) had evolved significantly since its first edition in 2002.
"For India to realise its objectives of building a military capability it requires, the government needs to develop a comprehensive industrialisation strategy for defence," it said noting that the country currently procured about 70 per cent of the armed forces' needs from abroad.
"But India aims to reverse this balance and manufacture 70 per cent or more of its defence equipment in India," it added.
"There is strong support (within industry) for extending the use of offset credit banking, allowing offset credit trading, and introducing the use of multipliers," it said.
The DPP stipulated that any deal for defence equipment with foreign suppliers worth over Rs 300 crore would attract the offset clause under which about 30 per cent to 50 per cent of the contract costs would have to be ploughed back into Indian defence industry.
On Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) cap of 26 per cent, the study said though the opinion was divided on increasing the FDI limit due to security considerations, there was clear expectation from the industry that it would be hiked from the present level.
100 new helipads proposed for India's northeast
NEW DELHI: The paramilitary Assam Rifles proposes to construct over 100 helipads in India's northeastern states for quick mobilization of its troopers along the 1,600-km Myanmar border even as it plans to raise 26 battalions to add to the existing 46.
"We have proposed the construction of over 100 helipads to the ministry of home affairs. These helipads would be constructed all over the northeastern states and help in quick mobilisation of troopers, dealing with medical emergencies and supplying rations," the Assam Rifles chief, Lt. General KS Yadava, said.
"We hope this proposal would be cleared by year-end. These helipads would be built along the India-Myanmar border because the terrain is very vast and difficult. It takes days to cover even a few kilometers. It would be to largely support the 26 additional battalions which we will be raising in the next 10 years for deployment along the 1,600- km India-Myanmar border," Yadava added.
He said three to four battalions would be raised every year. Infrastructure like roads will also be developed.
Noting that the helipads would be independent of those operated in the northeast by the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force, Yadava discounted suggestions that their construction was linked to countering the perceived threat from China.
"It has nothing to do with China. We are having it to reach our men sitting far out along the Myanmar border," he said.
Yadava said for transporting its troopers in helicopters, the Assam Rifles would seek the help of the paramilitary Border Security Force (BSF), which has an aviation wing and is the nodal organisation for providing aircraft and choppers to the other central paramilitary forces.
"At present, we do not feel the need of having our own choppers. We will think about it if the need arises in the future," he added.
Headquartered in Meghalaya capital Shillong, the Assam Rifles is deployed only in the northeast. It traces its roots to the Cachar Levy that was established by the British in 1835 to protect settlements against tribal raids and other assaults as British rule slowly moved towards the northeastern parts of India.
At present, the force has 46 battalions comprising 65,000 men. Fifteen battalions are deployed along the border and the rest are reserved for counter- insurgency operations.
The Assam Rifles is the only paramilitary force that relies solely on the Indian Army for its officer cadre. The other such forces have their own officer cadres and also take officers on deputation from the army and the Indian Police Service (IPS).
"We have proposed the construction of over 100 helipads to the ministry of home affairs. These helipads would be constructed all over the northeastern states and help in quick mobilisation of troopers, dealing with medical emergencies and supplying rations," the Assam Rifles chief, Lt. General KS Yadava, said.
"We hope this proposal would be cleared by year-end. These helipads would be built along the India-Myanmar border because the terrain is very vast and difficult. It takes days to cover even a few kilometers. It would be to largely support the 26 additional battalions which we will be raising in the next 10 years for deployment along the 1,600- km India-Myanmar border," Yadava added.
He said three to four battalions would be raised every year. Infrastructure like roads will also be developed.
Noting that the helipads would be independent of those operated in the northeast by the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force, Yadava discounted suggestions that their construction was linked to countering the perceived threat from China.
"It has nothing to do with China. We are having it to reach our men sitting far out along the Myanmar border," he said.
Yadava said for transporting its troopers in helicopters, the Assam Rifles would seek the help of the paramilitary Border Security Force (BSF), which has an aviation wing and is the nodal organisation for providing aircraft and choppers to the other central paramilitary forces.
"At present, we do not feel the need of having our own choppers. We will think about it if the need arises in the future," he added.
Headquartered in Meghalaya capital Shillong, the Assam Rifles is deployed only in the northeast. It traces its roots to the Cachar Levy that was established by the British in 1835 to protect settlements against tribal raids and other assaults as British rule slowly moved towards the northeastern parts of India.
At present, the force has 46 battalions comprising 65,000 men. Fifteen battalions are deployed along the border and the rest are reserved for counter- insurgency operations.
The Assam Rifles is the only paramilitary force that relies solely on the Indian Army for its officer cadre. The other such forces have their own officer cadres and also take officers on deputation from the army and the Indian Police Service (IPS).
Half of India's defence equipment outdated: Report
NEW DELHI: At least half of the country's defence equipment is obsolete and needs urgent upgrade, a report said on Wednesday, underlining gaps in
its defence preparedness in a region roiled by Islamist militancy and military rivalries.
Only 15 per cent of India's equipment is "state of the art", according to the first comprehensive report on the country's defence sector prepared by global consultancy firm KPMG and the Confederation of Indian Industry.
New Delhi changed its defence procurement policy last year to further open its defence sector to the world and local companies after the Mumbai attacks in November 2008, in which 166 people were killed.
The attack revealed glaring holes in the country's security system.
The new report, released by Defence Minister A K Antony, says the country will have to focus on improving homeland security after the Mumbai attacks and the government needs to support private firms in manufacturing equipment locally.
The government says it is keen to upgrade its largely Soviet-era arsenal to counter potential threats from Pakistan and China with a series of acquisitions and by phasing out old weapons.
The country has lost nearly 200 Russian-made MiG series aircraft in crashes since 1990, blamed by the air force on manufacturing defects.
The country wants to increase its air force squadrons from 34 (612 fighters) to 42 (756 fighters) by 2020 with modern aircraft. The army also needs new weapons urgently, the report said.
Bofors Howitzers were the last major acquisition made by the Army way back in 1986, it said.
"The Kargil conflict of 1999 (with Pakistan-based militants in Kashmir) highlighted the shortcomings of equipment held by the armed forces, highlighting the need to modernise the equipment portfolio," the report says.
Since early 2000, India began to buy weapons from other countries like Israel and the United States to replace Russian-origin defence equipment and is now speeding up deals.
India is currently the 10th largest defence spender in the world with an estimated 2 per cent share of global expenditure.
The United States, Britain, China, France and Japan are the leaders in global defence spending, each accounting for 3-5 per cent of total global expenditure.
Last August, the country started field trials to buy 126 multi-role fighter jets, defence officials said, moving forward on a $10.4 billion deal, one of the the biggest in play.
India is also seeking heavy lift helicopters, submarines, ships and artillery for its army, valued at millions of dollars, the KPMG report says.
All deals are part of a $100 billion budgetary provision over the next 10 years, Indian officials say.
its defence preparedness in a region roiled by Islamist militancy and military rivalries.
Only 15 per cent of India's equipment is "state of the art", according to the first comprehensive report on the country's defence sector prepared by global consultancy firm KPMG and the Confederation of Indian Industry.
New Delhi changed its defence procurement policy last year to further open its defence sector to the world and local companies after the Mumbai attacks in November 2008, in which 166 people were killed.
The attack revealed glaring holes in the country's security system.
The new report, released by Defence Minister A K Antony, says the country will have to focus on improving homeland security after the Mumbai attacks and the government needs to support private firms in manufacturing equipment locally.
The government says it is keen to upgrade its largely Soviet-era arsenal to counter potential threats from Pakistan and China with a series of acquisitions and by phasing out old weapons.
The country has lost nearly 200 Russian-made MiG series aircraft in crashes since 1990, blamed by the air force on manufacturing defects.
The country wants to increase its air force squadrons from 34 (612 fighters) to 42 (756 fighters) by 2020 with modern aircraft. The army also needs new weapons urgently, the report said.
Bofors Howitzers were the last major acquisition made by the Army way back in 1986, it said.
"The Kargil conflict of 1999 (with Pakistan-based militants in Kashmir) highlighted the shortcomings of equipment held by the armed forces, highlighting the need to modernise the equipment portfolio," the report says.
Since early 2000, India began to buy weapons from other countries like Israel and the United States to replace Russian-origin defence equipment and is now speeding up deals.
India is currently the 10th largest defence spender in the world with an estimated 2 per cent share of global expenditure.
The United States, Britain, China, France and Japan are the leaders in global defence spending, each accounting for 3-5 per cent of total global expenditure.
Last August, the country started field trials to buy 126 multi-role fighter jets, defence officials said, moving forward on a $10.4 billion deal, one of the the biggest in play.
India is also seeking heavy lift helicopters, submarines, ships and artillery for its army, valued at millions of dollars, the KPMG report says.
All deals are part of a $100 billion budgetary provision over the next 10 years, Indian officials say.
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